Sewage apparatus.



J. E. VAN KIRK. SEWAGE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Patented J an. 26,

QOOOOOOOOOOOQ oooooooouooooooo. OOOOOOOOO'JO J. E. VAN KIRK. SEWAGEAPPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED 001. 10, 1914.

LIQGQLE Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOSEPH E. VAN F MERCHANTVILLE, NEW JERSEY.

medias.

snwaen arreaa rns.

Specification of Letters Fatent. Patented Jan. 265, 31915..

Application filed October 10, 1914. Serial No. 866,020.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. VAN KIRK, a cltizen of the United States,residing at Merchantville, in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey, have invented.

certain new and useful Improvements in Sewage Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n sewage apparatus, the object ofthe invention being to provide an improved apparatus for disposing ofsewage in which apparatus natures laws are permitted to be carried out,and the liquid is freed of sludge and injurious matter.

A further object is to provide an improved apparatus having a septictank in which all solidmatter will be retained and allowed to escapeonly at the will of the operator who will, from time to time, permit thedischarge of the solid matter from the septic tank into a sludge pit.

A further object is to provide in the septic tank, a relatively deepwell, the wall of which extends up above the bottom of the septic tank,and connects a waterdischarge pipe to the bottom of the well, so thatthrough the said pipe only, liquid entirelyfree of solid partlcles canpass.

With these and other objects in View, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction andvcombinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the claims.

' In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view illustratingmy improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical transverse sectionon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a. similar view on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1. Fig. 4: is a fragmentary view in section on the line 44 of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical longitudinal section on the line 55 of.Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a fragmentaryview in vertical longitudinal section onthe line 6-6 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 7 is a view in horizontal section onthe line 77 of Fig. 5.

' In constructing my improved apparatus, 1. preferably employ cement,bricks laid in cement, or other material to form the walls of theseveral tanks and receptacles, and arrange such tanks and receptaclesaswill now be described.

1 represent'sa septic tank which is se arated by a partition wall 2 froma filter bed 3, and at one side of the tank 1 and several parts of theapparatus being of a sue to accommodate the'amount of sewage to be caredfor. The walls of the septic tank 1 and sludge pit 4 extend above thewalls ofthe filter bed 3, so that I can utilize the well known principleof liquid seeking its own level to compel the apparatus to carryout acontinuous operation without employing any mechanical means for forcingthe sewage. 1

6 represents a relatively deep well, the walls of which extend throughthe bottom of the septic tank and above the bottom of the septic tank adistance sufficient to prevent particles of solid matter accumulat ng onthe bottom of the septic tank from passing over the upper end of thewell.

-A pipe 7 extends from a point adjacent the bottom of-the well 6 to apoint in line with the top of the filter bed, and this pipe 7, at itsdischarge end 8, projects through the wall of the septic tank 1, andcommunicates with a longitudinal distributing trough 9. This trough 9 ispositioned centrally over the filter bed 3, and the water.

'let tank 13 at the end of the filtering bed from which latter the waterescapes through a drain pipe 14.

Above the septic tank 1, a sluice box 5 is located. This sluice boxreceives the sewage, and is provided with openings 15 in its bottointhrough which the sewage falls onto inclined screens 16. i lit will benoted, particularly by reference to Figs. 2 and 3, that the inclinedscreens extend downwardly in both directions from. a central point,butterminate short of the walls of the septic tank, so that particles ofsewage too large to pass through the perforations of the screens, willbe washed over the edges of the screens and fall into the septic tank. II

At a point slightly below the sludge level ticles will be found in theliquid of the septic tank, lllocate a discharge cock 17 which extendsthrough the wall of the of the septic tank 1, I provide a drain cook 18which drains the septic tank into the sludge pit. To permit the well 6to be cleaned of sand, gravel, and other small particles which mightaccumulate in the bottom thereof, I provide a pipe 19 which extends tothe bottom of the well, and at its upper end projects through the wallof the well and through the wall of the septic tank at the bottom of theseptic tank into the sludge pit, and is provided at its outlet end witha cook 20. The cocks 17, 18, and 20 are eech provided with operatinghand wheels 1 the wall of the sludge pit, so that an operator can walkalong the wall and control the cooks. t

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The sewage is conducted tothe sluice box 5, and drops through the openings in the bottom of thelatter onto the screens 16, the water passing through the perforationsin the screens, and the solid matter washing over the screens into theseptic tank below. The sludge will float on top of the water, so that arelatively deep section of sludge will be maintained on top ofthe waterin the septic tank. The water falling through the screens in drops orrain, percolatesthrough the sludge,,and any particles of sludge insuspension in the water will be retained by the layer of sludge. Ofcourse, smallparbelow the thickness of sludge at the top, but theseparticles will either remain in suspension or will float to the top andadd to the depth of the sludge. As the well 6 is relatively deep, noparticle of sludge can penetrate to the bottom of the well because ofthe density of the water, and hence from the pipe-7 only water entirelyfreed of sludge can flow into the trough 9. This operation ofthe flowofwater to the trough 9.. is'a continuous one'so long as sewage isfalling from the sluice box into the septlc tank. The liquid freed ofits sludge overflows from the trough-9, and 5 passes through the screens10 in the form of drops or rain, and this liquid is thoroughly filteredas it passes through the materia and finds an outlet through thepipes-12 above explained. As'the. sludge accumulates on top of theliquid in the septic tank, it is necessary from t1me to time for theoperator to open the cook 17 and allow the sludge to pass into thesludge pit 4. It is also desirable from time to time to open the cock20, and allow the sand, gravel, and other particles accumulating in thebottom of the'wll to be forced outward through the pipe 19. As soon asthe cook 20 is open,

the pressure of .water will clean out the 0t 18, and 20 respectivelylocated above directing sludge from the u mamas tom of the well, andthen the cock is closed..- VVhenever it is desired to drain the septictank,'the cock 18 is opened, at which time it is of course necessary toremove the contents of the sludge pit in order toallow the contents ofthe septic tank to flow therein.

It will be noted that the water passing. through the screens, bothin'th'e 'septlc tan and the filtering bed,is allowed aconsiderable fallbefore coming in contact with the contents of the septic tank orfiltering bed. This water in drops or rain is'thoroughly aerated in itsfall, so that it is freed to a large extent from its gases and odors.

Various slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangementof parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I donot limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myselfat liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall withinthe spirit and scope bf the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a septic tank, of a well below the septic tankand communieating therewith, and an outlet pipe communicating with thebottom said pi e having its outlet end located in a plane elow theliquid level in the septic tank, substantially as described.

2. The combinat1on with a se tic tank, of

a'well in the bottom of the tan having its -wall extending above thebottom of the tank,

septic tank,- substantially as described, the combination with a septictank,

a sludge pit, and a filter bed, of a well communicating with the bottomof the septic tank, an outlet pipe connecting the'bottom of the'wellwith the filter bed, and means for the septic tank into the slu tiallyas described. o

4 In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with aseptic tank, a sludge pit, and a filter bed, of a well communicatingwiththe bottom of the septic ge pit, substantank, an outlet pipe connectingthe bottom filter, bed, means for of thewellwith the directin sludgefrom the upperportion of the septic tank into the sludge pit, saidseptic tank having inclined screens in its u per portion terminatinshort of the wa of the tank, and means or directing sewage onto saidscreens, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the? character described, the combination with aseptic tank, a sludge pit, and a filter e liquid bed, of a well comofthe well,

per portion of municating with the bottom of the septic tank, an outletpipe connecting the bottom of the well with the filter bed, means fordirecting sludge from the upper portion of the septic tank into thesludge pit, said filtering bed having inclined screens at its top with atrough extending longitudinally of the filter bed and communicating withsaid outlet pipe, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with aseptic tank, a sludge pit, and a filter bed, of a well communicatingwith thebottom of the septic tank, an outlet pipe connecting the bottomof the well with the filter bed, means for directin sludge from theupper portion of I the septic tank into the sludge pit, a clean out pipecommunicating with the bottom of the well and discharging into thesludge pit, and a cock on said clean out pipe, substantially asdescribed.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with aseptic tank, a sludge pit, and a filter bed, of awell communicating withthe bottom of the septic tank, an outlet pipe connecting the bottom ofthe well with the filter fbed, means for directing sludge from'the upperportion of the septic tan into the sludge pit, means for directingsewageintothe top of the septic tank and screening the sewage as itenters the same, and means for draining the septic tank into the sludgepit, substantially as described.

p 8. The combination with a septic tank, a sludge pit adjacent the same,and a filter= ingbed, said filtering bed having a series of drainpipes'in the bottom thereof, the sec tions of which are open to theentrace of water, of a well located below the septic tank and having itsupper end projecting above the bottom of the septic tank, an outlet pipecommunicatin with the bottom of the well and discharging into thefiltering bed, said filtering bed having filtering material thereonabove and around the firstmentioned pipes and having perforated screensabove the filtering material, and said filtering bed having at one end adrain compartment in which all of the first-mentioned pipes discharge,substantially as described. In testimony whereof l have signed my nameto this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JOSEPH E. VAN KIRK.

Witnesses:

C. R. Zmennn, S. W. Fos'rm.

